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<h1>Publication Ranking Tools</h1>
<p>
Publication ranking tools are available to rank both journal titles and articles. These calculations are part of a field of analysis called bibliometrics. If you have specific questions or would like additional information, please contact <a href="http://library.mskcc.org/scripts/portal/forms/contact_staff.pl?id=dg" title="Contact Donna Gibson" target="_blank">Donna Gibson</a>.
</p>

<h2>Impact Factors </h2>
<p>
  Journal Impact Factors are rankings applied to journal titles.  The method involves a mathematical calculation done annually by Thomson ISI and is published annually as the <a href="http://portal.isiknowledge.com.libauth.mskcc.org:2048/portal.cgi?DestApp=JCR&Func=Frame&Init=Yes&SID=3FaAIci@k9aH4m43Jmc" title="Journal Citation Report" target="_blank">Journal Citation Report (JCR)</a>.  The calculation is based on a 3-year time period and represents a mathematical equation of the number of papers published in a journal vs. the number of times the papers are cited in the two calendar years following publication.  There are approximately 5,900 science and technology journal titles included in the JCR and not all document types are included in the calculation.</p>
<blockquote>
  <p>For example: </p>
  <p>Journal A  has published 297 articles that have been cited over 48,000 times in the last 2 years but only has an impact factor of 15. Journal B has 85 articles that have been cited only 14,000 times, yet the mathematical equation determines that the impact factor of Journal B is 31. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>The <a href="http://library.mskcc.org" title="Memorial Sloan-Kettering Library" target="_blank">Library's Web site</a> has access to the annual JCRs from 1998 to the most recent one published.  Because data in a particular report are based on published literature for that year, the publication cycle is one year behind the current date.  For example, the most recent JCR is the report for the prior year. </p>
<p>The impact factor has long been debated by scholars and publishers alike, however it continues to be an accepted industry standard of measurement for  journals, scholarly research articles and scholarly researchers and scientists. Many excellent articles have been published which examine the pros and cons of using this method. The following References may be of some use for those interested in knowing more about the pros and cons of the Impact Factor: </p>
<ul>
  <li>Adam D. <a href="https://login.libauth.mskcc.org/login?url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/415726a">The counting house.</a> <em>Nature</em>. 2002;415(6873):726-9.</li>
  <li>Garfield E. <a href="https://login.libauth.mskcc.org/login?url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.295.1.90">The history and meaning of the journal impact factor.</a> <em>JAMA</em>. 2006;295(1):90-3.</li>
  <li>Monastersky R. 2005. The number that's devouring science.  <em>Chron. High. Educ.</em> 52:A12.</li>
  <li> Rossner M., Van Epps H., Hill E. 2007. <a href="https://login.libauth.mskcc.org/login?url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1083/jcb.200711140">Show me the data.</a> <em>J. Cell Bio.</em>, 179(6):1091-1092.</li>
  <li>Wikipedia entry <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impact_factor" title="Wikipedia" target="_blank"><em>Impact Factor</em></a>. </li>
</ul>
<h2>Citation Counts </h2>
<p>One way to evaluate a researcher's performance is through citation counts of published articles.   While much debate surrounds this method, it is generally recognized that use of a published article by a peer group is a good baseline to begin to understand an article's and/or a researcher's impact on his/her scientific community. </p>
<p>Currently, two methods are used to evaluate citation counts.  Most widely known is ISI, or <a href="http://portal.isiknowledge.com.libauth.mskcc.org:2048/portal.cgi?DestApp=WOS&Func=Frame" title="Web of Science" target="_blank">Web of Science</a>.  This data is based on cited references from captured articles; however, not all document types in a given journal are indexed.  Approximately 5,900 journals in the sciences and 1,700 journals in the social sciences are currently indexed by ISI.   The <a href="http://library.mskcc.org" title="Memorial Sloan-Kettering Library" target="_blank">Library</a> subscribes to the Science Citation Index and the Social Sciences Citation Index, containing citation information from 1945 to the present and 1956 to the present, respectively. </p>
<p>A new way to examine citation counts is via a literature database called <a href="https://login.libauth.mskcc.org/login?url=http://www.scopus.com" title="Scopus" target="_blank">Scopus</a>.  Like Web of Science, data is based on cited references from captured articles.  Scopus however, captures all documents within a specific journal title and indexes close to 15,000 journal titles.  About 2/3 of these titles are health, life and social sciences, with the remaining 1/3 covering the physical sciences.  The content of both PubMed and Embase are included in Scopus.  Cited reference data is captured for all articles from 1996 forward, while the journal coverage in Scopus varies from title to title, but generally goes as far back as the early 1970's. </p>
<p>The <em>h</em>-index is a new way of measuring a researcher's performance and impact.  It is based on the highest number of papers included that have had at least the same number of citations.  Meant to provide a new way to look at both a scientist's productivity and impact, this approach takes into account not only a scientist's citation counts, but how they compare to the quantity of published work.  The <em>h</em>-index was developed by J.E. Hirsch; for more information read his article, <a href="https://login.libauth.mskcc.org/login?url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0507655102" title="h-Index article" target="_blank"><em>An index to quantify an individual's scientific research output.</em></a></p>
<blockquote>
  <p>For example: </p>
  <p>Dr. X, publishing since the early 1990's, has been cited 9,033 times in ISI; this means his articles have been cited 9,033 times in around 7,600 journals since 1945.   That same author has been cited 8,103 times in Scopus; this means his articles have been cited 8,103 times in around 14,000 journals since 1996.   Dr. X's <em>h</em>-index  in ISI is 36, while his <em>h</em>-index in Scopus is 37. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>An article from Wikipedia, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citation_index" title="Wikipedia" target="_blank"><em>Citation Index</em></a>, provides an excellent overview of the history, measures, services and analysis related to citations. </p>
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